New licensing system to streamline HCFC-affected imports and exports

Disna MUDALIGE

The Environment Ministry in collaboration with Sri Lanka Customs is to introduce a national licensing system to keep better track on imports and exports containing Hydrochloroflurocarbons (HCFCs) from 2013.

Environment Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said that imports containing HCFCs would be subjected to a system of annual import quotas parallel to the introduction of the new license system. He said that the importation of products for

trading purposes containing HCFCs would be limited with the implementation of the new system.

Sri Lanka, in line with the Montreal Protocol's accelerated phaseout programme of HCFCs, is in the process of implementation of HCFC Phaseout Management Plan (HPMP). Under this management plan Sri Lanka has committed to limit the import of HCFCs gradually from January 1, 2013 and finally phaseout these substances by 2030. In the implementation process of these requirements, controlling the illegal traffic has been identified as a prioritized focused area. The minister made these observations addressing the inauguration of Training Workshop for Customs Officers held in Colombo yesterday on World Customs Organization (WCO) 2012 Harmonized System Codes.

The Sri Lanka Customs is to adopt a new coding system of Ozone Depleting Substances from this year for import and export goods referred to as Harmonized System (HS) introduced by the WCO to address the environmental transboundary challenges. Its tariff headings will be amended accordingly.

The depletion of the ozone layer is one of the major environmental challenges that has threatened the life on earth.